Abstracts of the Papers Presented at the Nineteenth Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association October 8 and 9, 1965 Colorado State University, Fort Collins

GROUND RULES FOR PREPARING AND SUBMITTING PAPERS FOR THE TWENTIETH MEETING OF THE RMMLA, OCTOBER 14-15, 1966 This repeats the invitation to submit papers which was sent to all Department Chairmen in the area on February 17, 1966. It is included here for the convenience of any member who may not have seen it. Chairmen of English and Language Departments may receive specific requests from individual section chairmen. In general, however, the following ground rules apply to all papers: 1 . Papers should not be longer than fifteen minutes' reading time. (For most people, this will be about 1 1 or 12 typed, double-spaced pages.) 2.Papers for consideration should be sent directly to the chairman of the appropriate section (see list of section officers on cover above). It is usually helpful if a carbon copy is sent to the co-chairman, who ordinarily assists the chairman in selecting papers. 3.A person should not plan to read more than one paper at the October meetings. (He may submit papers to more than one section, but if one is accepted, he should withdraw the others.) 4.Unless the section chairman suggests a later deadline, papers should be submitted to him by May 15, 1966. This is the twentieth year of RMMLA, and it will mark the installation of a permanent organization for the first time. We are looking forward to the attendance of a number of eminent visitors, including the officers and the Executive Council of the MLA. Details of the program will be announced later. Jim Fife Secretary-Treasurer, RMMLA, 1966 ABSTRACTS of the Papers Presented at the Nineteenth Annual Meeting of the ROCKY MOUNTAIN MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION October 8 and 9, 1965 Colorado State University, Fort Collins English I: English Before 1800 GEORGE HERBERT: BAROQUE POET Baird W. Whitlock University of Wyoming George Herbert rather than Crashaw is the most typical English Baroque poet. A close examination of his work reveals that his poems have the characteristics of Baroque art. Brevity, one characteristic of the Baroque, is demonstrated in Herbert's use of the short lyric. Poetic unity achieved by form, the unity of complex forms by careful verbal continuity and the linking of form with meaning — all give additional evidence for identifying Baroque qualities in the poet's work. Another characteristic may be noted in Herbert's freedom within a verse form as demonstrated, for example, in the early lines and the rhyme scheme of "All Wasted." As the Baroque artist accepts traditional divisions, even so he denies them. Herbert enjambs the last line of each stanza with the first in the following stanza in such a poem as "Church Monuments." The progression from closed to open form, as described by Wolfflin, parallels Herbert's quiet ending of a poem which leads to openness of thought. Poems of Herbert 's which have clear lines but the meaning of which lies in his personal experience show an analogy to the Baroque movement from clarity to obscurity. In practice, Herbert uses an indirect method of progression, similar to the use by painters of an S-curve for recession. As a Baroque artist might seek for illusion in the use of materials, so Herbert's "The Altar" and "Easter Wings" as emblematic poems show this allied trait in poetry. Finally, a general characteristic of the age which Herbert's work mirrored was the unity which Baroque artists saw, felt, and used among all of the arts. Herbert moved with ease in science, musical theory, painting, architecture, and religion. CHRISTOPHER SMARTS HYMNS AND THE ANGLICAN LITURGY Anne Howard University of Nevada Christopher Smart's Hymns and Spiritual Songs for the Fasts and Feasts of the Church of England demonstrate an effort on the poet's part to interweave the various portions of the appointed liturgy for each festival into the body of the hymn. Smart uses references from the collects and scripture appointed for each celebration as intricate structural framework for the hymns. A detailed discussion of the hymn written for Epiphany shows the further use of the liturgy for Holy Communion. DR. JOHNSON ON THE ESSAY James B. Misenheimer U.S. Air Force Academy In his criticism of the...